Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Gordon Stewart Gemmell was born in St Kilda, Victoria, the second son of Elizabeth & Archibald Gemmell. The family had come from Ireland to Australia around 1890 and settled first in Melbourne. However the last years of the 19th century saw bank failures, increasing unemployment and the collapse of confidence in Victoria, whereas Western Australia was booming with the discovery of gold in Coolgardie and Southern Cross. Perhaps this was the prompt for Archibald to move his family west early in 1900.
On leaving school Gordon began his training as a teacher, firstly as a student at what would become Claremont Teachers' College, then in 1911 as a monitor at Claremont School. In 1913 he was teaching at Thomas Street State School in West Perth and attending university. He was among the first intake of students at the University of WA. Enjoying sport, he was a member, along with his brothers, of the Kings Park Tennis Club. He became a qualified instructor of Junior Cadets and in 1915 when he enlisted he was a sergeant in the Reserve Forces. A fellow student at the Teacher's College described him as quietly spoken and very correct and polite in his approach. An obituary in the West Australian of 16 November 1918, described him as well known and highly esteemed by the younger generation of teachers in the department. As a tennis player he showed unusual promise and played in senior tennis for the WA University on whose honour roll his name appears.
Gordon enlisted as a private on 23 October 1915 and after initial training was selected for NCO training. He earned his sergeant's stripes, and in February 1916 passed his 2nd Lieutenant exams. He was posted to the
11th Battalion (21st Rifles), and in October 1916 he left Australia on the HMAT A23 Suffolk disembarking at Plymouth. At the end of April 1917 he went to France as part of the reinforcements of the 11th Battalion.

Gordon's sister Jeanie had married in 1905 and was living at 26 Thomson Road, Claremont. The family home at this time was in York. With his father a commercial traveller and therefore away from home a great deal, his mother, Elizabeth, must have decided it would be less lonely for her, with three sons away, to move to live with her daughter in Claremont and help look after her young grandchildren. Thomson Road Claremont therefore became the 'family base' and was the home address given by Gordon on his enlistment papers.
Promoted to full lieutenant in July 1917, Gordon saw action in Belgium, at Ypres. He suffered a couple of bouts of trench fever, one so severe he was returned to Britain for hospital treatment, followed by two weeks leave. Trench fever was a particularly painful disease transmitted by lice, which infested soldiers in the trenches. Its chief symptoms were high fever, headaches, skin rashes, inflamed eyes and leg pains. Gordon returned to France on active duty in March 1918. His great niece, Meg Gemmell, described his battle experiences in the essay she wrote for the Queensland Premier's Anzac Prize in 2015.
Lt Gordon Gemmell was part of the allied offensive forcing the Germans back behind the Hindenburg line when he was killed in action on 10 August 1918, his 25th birthday. Depositions from his soldiers describe what happened.
On the 10 August we were at Harbonnieres. In the early morning we attacked Fritz's trenches and about 20 minutes after the attack started, Mr Gemmell and a lot of others came under machine gun fire.
Mr Gemmell was killed outright, bullet to the head. Many were hit. I was on the right and went across and found Mr Gemmell lying on his back quite dead. Pte HR Craik
This officer was buried by me at Lihon Woods on 10 Aug 1918. We carried him to Headquarters and he was buried by an Australian padre. A cross was placed on his grave with his name on.
Cpl R l Hyde
He was of C Company, IX platoon. On 10 August in morning about
9 o'clock during our attack (locality forgotten) was killed outright by machine gun bullet, hit in neck. I saw it happen. I have not seen his grave, but he is buried in Military Cemetery along with Captain LeNay and Lieut C Lamberton. Pte HJ Foote
I buried him myself on the field. The grave is in an open field about 200 yards off main road but I cannot remember name of village we were near. Cross is erected. He came from Western Australia. Pte L Anthony
Re the late Lt G Gemmell who was killed in action on the 10-8-18 by machine gun fire, death being instantaneous This officer was carried back and buried with other officers who fell the same morning -
a cross being erected to his memory. I made enquiries as to who was his batman at that time but was informed he at present is wounded and somewhere in England. There is no doubt about its correctness as I personally saw the body before it was removed. Pte HR Woodbridge
A friend from College days, Marcus Anderson, was involved in the same battle. In his memoirs he wrote:
Following up an attack in the vicinity of the village of Proyanrt, we realised a party of our foremost troops had established a strong point in an old German communications trench on top of some rising ground. The first attempt to capture this post had been repelled by the German machine gunners who had inflicted many casualties on our troops. The bodies of the dead lay where they had fallen. Among the dead I recognised my friend Gordon Gemmell. I looked at his body. His skin was as fair in death as in life. He had been killed by a bullet through the forehead between the eyes.
Gordon was subsequently re-buried in Heath Cemetery, Picardie, France.
He is commemorated on honour boards at the University of Western Australia and Claremont Teachers' College.

The details provided are taken from the book "Stealth Raiders - a few daring men in 1918" written by Lucas Jordan, published 2017, refer to pages 266 + 281. Prior to the war he was a school teacher of Claremont WA. He enlisted 8th Nov 1915 aged 24 years. He served with the 11th Infantry Battalion. Unfortunately he was Killed in Action 10th Aug 1918. Rest in Peace. Lest We Forget.
Gordon maintained a diary during his military service, and this has been donated to the Australian War Memorial, reference 2DRL/0181